Number 108 1 Phone John on 01485 779548 or 07775 825780 2 Editor's notes Jo Halpin Jones As I am writing this it is still very warm, although early and late in the day there is a nip in the air. Yes, autumn is coming, and should be well on the way by the time you read this. The squirrels in our garden are busy harvesting the walnuts, and the blackbirds and wasps are demolishing the figs just before they are ripe for picking. Others in the village report that the squirrels are feasting on their plums, apples and mulberries, again all before they are ripe. I don't begrudge the wildlife a portion of our crops, but they are really getting greedy! It's been a busy summer for many of the village groups, and autumn brings further activities. There is a new section in Village Voice called What's On in and around Dersingham. It's on the inside back cover and is a quick guide to local events. Families who have lived in the village for a long time, sometimes many generations, may be interested to read Dick Melton's article on a pantomime that took place in 1944. You may recognise yourself, or your parents or grandparents in the photos! Don't miss Green Book, showing at Dersingham Village Screen at the Village Centre on 26th November. I saw this film a few months ago and thought it outstanding. I was delighted when it went on to win an Oscar as Best Picture. Several people have enquired about getting copies of photographs that have appeared in Village Voice. If you would like copies, please email me at [email protected]□ Cover photo: Autumn on the Sandringham Estate 3 Dear Village Voice Some two years ago all the cat’s eyes and white lines were removed from the road between Sandringham and St Leonard’s Church. After re-surfacing the white lines were replaced, but the cat’s eyes were only replaced as far as the edge of Dersingham. More recently the same happened between Dersingham and Snettisham, again after re-surfacing only the white lines were replaced (except for a long stretch in Ingoldisthorpe). Did they run out of white paint?! I read recently that in 1947, because of their life-saving possibilities being undeniable, a scheme to embed them in Britain’s rural roads went nationwide. The initiative to install them was taken by Transport Minister James Callaghan. Does the Council now have a policy of not bothering to renew or replace these excellent safety features, relying instead on the meagre street lighting on these busy roads? Kingscroft is better lit! Since none of the remaining cat’s eyes in Chapel Road are serviceable, I think we know the answer! D Munkenbeck 28 Kingscroft A coach-and-four passing through the village has been mentioned several times, most recently by Dick in his piece in the last issue. The coach came from a riding stable in Darley Dale in Derbyshire, and every year travelled to Heacham, to Callabys who had a riding school in Heacham. The visit was to attend the yearly gymkhana which I think was held on the field next to the mill. The people on the coach were dressed in the dress of the time, and when they came into the village the coach horn was blown. The Dun Cow was used as a place to rest and water the horses; this was in the days before motorways and bypasses, and quite a few people would go up to the pub to have a look. There is a picture of the coach at the pub on the Dersingham History site. I think from the way the coach is facing it was taken on the return home. Bernie Twite Ed: Apologies to Mrs Rispa Reynolds for an error in her letter in the last edition of Village Voice. In the first paragraph it should have read "I knew Patrick's parents", not "partner". 4 Parish Council Report Coral Shepherd It has been a relatively quiet summer for the village and the Parish Council as we have had only one meeting since the last edition of Village Voice. This is because we have a recess from meetings in August, traditionally a time for summer holidays for Councillors and more importantly for our hard-working staff. By the time you read this article we will be on the point of publishing our review into the funding and management of the project to build the Village Centre. As many of you will recall, last summer we had to borrow an additional £200,000 to complete the building works so that the Village Centre could be finished and opened. This gave total borrow for the project of £350,000 which will be paid back over the next thirty years. This amount of borrowing raised many concerns and the Parish Council decided to carry out a review to investigate the causes of the overspend, the governance of the project and to learn lessons for the future. A team of four Councillors (including myself), the clerk and an independent chairman, Ben Colson (chairman of Sandringham Parish Council) have spent many, many hours on this. The report will be made available to the public at our meeting on 30th September and will also be placed on our website. It is a lengthy document but hopefully will allow a greater understanding. I would like to take this opportunity to give my sincere and heartfelt thanks to Ben for all his hard work in chairing our meetings, preparing papers, conducting interviews and writing the report. When I first approached him to be the independent chairman of the group we none of us had any idea of the length and amount of time that the review would take. Ben has given his time freely and has been thoroughly professional and forensic in his approach and I think I am safe in saying that no stone has been left unturned. Without him I have little doubt that we would not have completed such a thorough review, nor prepared such a comprehensive report. I would also like to thank my fellow group members for their hard work and input. We will have improvements to make to the way we do things and hope that the report will be of use to other Parish Councils wishing to embark on a similar project. You are all welcome to attend the meeting on 30th September (6.30pm start) and please do take time to read the report. I would welcome any comments that you may have.□ 5 6 Cycle down Dementia Yes, another cycling race is due to pass through Dersingham on 2nd November. The riders will be coming down to the village from Snettisham and Ingoldisthorpe and then passing on through Wolferton, West Newton and Sandringham before returning to the start point at Fakenham Racecourse. This ride supports Cycling Down Dementia with its charity partner Alzeimer's Research UK. It is part of a three-month series of events taking place from November to January, with this section being in Norfolk. The riders are due to pass through Dersingham between 9.10am and 1.10pm, spread out into small groups. Further details of the event can be found at www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/cycling- down-dementia-norfolk/ NHS CCGs planned merger - have your say NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) plan and commission the health care services in our local area. The Norfolk and Waveney CCGs are currently exploring whether to merge into one larger CCG and are inviting people to have their say on this proposal. You can find out more and complete an online survey at: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NorfolkandWaveneyCCGProposal/. Alternatively, to request a hard copy of the survey please email [email protected] or write to: Freepost RTJE-GXBZ-CSJR NHS Norwich CCG Room 202, City Hall St Peters Street Norwich NR2 1NH 7 8 Scamp A story by Allan Coleby We bought the country cottage from Mrs Johnson and we got her black mongrel, Scamp, with it. Mrs Johnson’s husband had died and she decided that the cottage and large garden were too much for her. Life in a city flat, she realised, would be cruelty to Scamp, and so she simply left him behind when she moved. It was old Norman, from next door, who told us his name. “Scamp by name and Scamp by nature,” he said. “You’ll see.” He did not say what we would see. Our ten-year-old son, Ken, had longed for a dog and we promised he could have one when we moved to the country. All that summer, the boy and the dog explored the woods and roamed the fields. Each day they brought back treasures: pheasants’ feathers, a deserted bird’s nest with pieces of turquoise shell, wilted flowers, stones from a nearby brook. September came, bringing with it school for Ken and lonely days for Scamp. The dog continued to forage on his own, returning with his offerings: old bones, discarded boots, dead rodents. Always, he was home by four o’clock, and when the school bus lumbered down the road, he ran joyously to meet it. Early one evening, from the narrow road came a screech of brakes. My heart lurched and I rushed to the door. I saw what I feared. A car had stopped, black skid-marks stretching behind it. The driver was out and looking underneath. I ran out, my nerves like a bowstring.